Automobile Sector Centred Indian Industrial Development for Whom ?
The automobile sector centred industrial development in India and at the global level has emerged in the process of transformation of competitive capitalism into monopoly capitalism . This trend has been strengthening continuously , what is the cause for it ? The automobile sector means the production and sale of private , individual vehicles . For whose benefit the public transportation system seriously neglected to accelerate the development of private transportation system ? As Transportation system is closely connected to all the structures of the economy , Will these changes raise the living standards of people ? Will it eradicate poverty ? Will it bring and ensure decent livelihoods to all ? In fact , the majority of people are forcefully excluded from the process of development . Consequently , the critically miserable lives of many became a normal phenomenon . Then , all this ‘ development of automobile industry ’ is for whose benefit ?
The profit thirst of monopoly capital will not satisfy with the profits earned from the absolute and relative exploitation of surplus labour . It will rigorously and continuously search for new methods of exploitation to earn more and more profits . In this process , it discovered the method of reducing turnover time i . e ., the time required to realise the profits since the initiation of investment . The reduction in the turnover time will raise the annual rate of profit . Thus , the annual rate of profit will increase continuously as long as the turnover time decreases . In this context , the transportation and communication sectors play a crucial role . Thus , the automobile sector is closely connected to the profit thirst of monopoly capital resulted in the strong expansion of diversified automobile sector .
Moreover , the distorted argument of development-the rise in the luxurious 6 individual private vehicles , wide Highways and flyovers for Speedy movement of vehicles -is strengthened and popularised as the indicators of development . Thus , the basis of distortion has entered into the building of industrial structures . Further , the production of Exports-Imports dependent comforts and luxuries acquired priority in the place of indigenous , basic capital goods industrial development . In this way , the policies directed by the imperialist forces are implemented to this extent . The attainment of Selfreliance remained only on the papers . This trend strengthens the process of accelerated expansion of globalisation .
The American Marxist economist Paul Sweezy states that the entire capital accumulation in the twentieth century is around automobile industry only . Car companies , oil industry , metal industry , construction of Highways and necessary real estate has successfully created automobile-industrialisation . Consequently , oil dependence at the global level increased sharply . In fact the main cause for the CO 2 emissions which is the main contributor of climate change is this kind of transportation system . Automobile Sector in India Indian automobile industry is fourth largest in the world . Its products are as high as 50 % in our manufacturing output . This sector provides employment to more than 35 million people . This sector possesses three main centres - Gurgaon , Chennai and Pune . Chennai is called as the Asian Detroit in view of its large automobile and its allied industries . It is one of the largest automobile hub in the world . The Hyundai , Nissan , BMW , Yamaha , TPS etc . companies have manufacturing units in Chennai . Three cars are produced per minute here i . e . 1.4 million cars per annum .
Ford and Hyundai Motors are the main car companies in Gurgaon ; and
Tata and Fiat are the important car companies in Pune . In this way automobile sector implies passenger cars . It has excessively diversified range of cars . This sector produces ultra-modern and highly luxurious cars preferred by billionaires as well as simple cars used by middle class . The cost of the car determines the Social prestige of the individual who owns it . Therefore , the craze and mania for Ultra-Modern cars among middle and rich class , to project their prominence , is aggressively increasing . The production of individual private cars which are not at all connected to the necessaries of life of majority people astonishingly became the vital part of our industrial sector . Consequently , the entire development of our industrial sector is centred around this industry . Thus , our industrial sector is clearly alienated from the necessities of the majority . Further , this industry is highly capital intensive . Our country is backward because of the rampant colonial and imperialist exploitation . So , ours is a capital scarce nation . Therefore , the ruling class always says that the foreign investment should be attracted by giving incentives and concessions . Contrarily , the scarce , valuable capital is allocated to produce luxurious modern cars for the conspicuous lives of rich class for their enjoyment . This is really , a cruel oppression in the process of basic industrial development . Moreover , the capital intensive industries will be weak in the generation of employment . The rise in the share of employment in industrial sector is a necessary condition for industrial development . Ours is labourabundant and capital-scarce country . But our industrial development is centred around capital intensive automobile industry . This serious contradiction is the consequence of policies implemented under the pressure of imperialist forces .
Class Struggle